Land Rover Readies Remote Off-Road Tech

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. is developing remote-control capabilities for low-speed off-road maneuvers that could eventually be offered in the all-new Defender SUV that’s due to bow next year, Autocar reports.

The system would allow motorists to get out of the vehicle and control it via a smartphone app from a safe position nearby. This would give operators a better perspective on how to navigate over rugged terrain, Land Rover notes. Users would be able to activate the system only in conjunction with a special keyfob to ensure they are close to the vehicle.

The carmaker, which has been developing the technology since at least 2015, already has tested it in prototype vehicles, Stuart Frith, the Defender’s chief product engineer, tells Autocar. He didn’t indicate when the technology would be commercialized.

The second-generation Defender, unveiled earlier this month at the Frankfurt auto show, is built on a heavily modified version of Land Rover’s D7x aluminum platform that carries the larger Discovery SUV.

Land Rover says the unibody architecture is the stiffest structure it has ever produced and is as much as three times stiffer than a typical body-on-frame truck design.

Off-road capabilities are enhanced via a full-time four-wheel-drive system with low and high ranges. The new off-roader has 11 inches of ground clearance, 35-inch wading depth, a 38° approach angle and 40° departure angle. A low-mounted camera helps drivers to view and maneuver around nearby ground obstacles.